


Getting To Know You

by Moonswing



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: M/M, just some sugary sweet stuff, persistent lavi respecting boundaries, some misgendering at the beginning by morons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 07:41:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20131792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonswing/pseuds/Moonswing
Summary: Modern AU. Lavi's new coworker has caught his eye, but it could be a challenge getting past that deadpan exterior.For Laven Week 2019 Day One; prompts used: Mitarashi Dango, sweet and savory, endearing.





	Getting To Know You

Lavi hadn’t ever really given a lot of thought to gender or the differences there of. That said, he considered himself well-informed on all current issues, and that one was a biggie with many, many people. 

He hadn’t ever expected to come face-first into any experiences with said social issue either but in minding his own business in the break room, that very thing had come to pass. 

There had been a small group of men in the space as well, Lavi himself keeping a distance from the bunch. They were rowdy and obnoxious, and he was not in the mood to deal with that. It had been a very long morning and all he wanted was to eat his damn sandwich in peace. 

His attention did peak with another young man entered, short and lithe and usually smiling. Not now, but most of the staff saved their smiling for out on the floor. Allen was his name, Lavi knew, but not much else, and had been trying to change that, but… Allen was one of those who knew how to be friendly without divulging much about himself. 

A challenge. 

Even now, the newcomer zeroed in on a seat before the redhead could catch his eye, even sitting with his back to him. While it probably wasn’t a conscious effort, it still kinda hurt. 

“Hey, Allen,” one of the obnoxious fools called from their table. The group had quieted at his entrance. “Is it true you’re a girl?” 

He ignored the question, focusing on his own lunch. 

“I’m only asking because Kirsten said she saw you buying that ‘time of the month’ stuff yesterday. So we figure either your girl has you so whipped you buy it for her, or you’re really a girl.” 

Allen continued to eat, not eyen glancing the table of idiots. 

“Hey, Short Shit!” another of them called. “We’re asking you a question!” 

“Is that right?” Lavi spoke up. “From a third person point of view, it looks like you’re just making asses of yourselves.” 

“This is none of your business, Asshole!” 

“Maybe not, but harassment is against company policy, which this clearly is. I wonder if Angela is aware of your shenanigans.” 

They glanced each other uncomfortably. 

“Did I touch a nerve?” 

“Dick,” was the returned mutter, and they kept to themselves another four minutes before leaving. 

Lavi’s attention had already returned to his book, but upon hearing them hurry down the steps from the room, also heard a clear, steady voice ask, “Defend me just so I’d tell you?” 

The redhead looked back up at him in confusion. “Was that supposed to be my motivation?” he asked. 

At which point, _Allen_ looked confused. “Usually is,” he muttered, and turned back around to face his lunch. 

As much as Lavi wanted to ask to sit with him, his own break was over, and it seemed like the other man could use some time to himself. “See you later,” he spoke only, and disposed of his trash, praying he survived the rest of the afternoon. 

&

As Allen was a cashier and Lavi a reciever, they didn’t see each other terribly often- usually only when a customer ordered a piece of furniture that needed to be brought out or something like that. But the occasion came that Allen was trying to use the back room’s computer, while the computer was being the overused and outdated system it was- if the cussing was any indication. 

“Need some help?” Lavi offered. 

The other glanced at him in frustration, then back at the screen, then the other man again, and held out a small piece of paper with a few tidy numbers written on it. “A customer wants this, but Tanya said I have to make sure it’s the last one before I can sell the display.” 

“Yup.” 

“I have the SKU, but this stupid thing-” 

“I got ya, I got ya,” Lavi laughed, taking the paper and moving to the keyboard. Oh. Poor guy was on the wrong screen. Trying to be discreet, he pulled up the right one (hearing Allen face palm in horror) and typed the information in. “It’s the last one in stock; the thing’s all theirs,” the redhead spoke only, handing the paper back to him. 

“…Thanks,” Allen muttered. 

“Will you go out with me?” Lavi blurted out. 

The other male had been on his way back to the floor, but came to a complete stop at the question, brow furrowed. “What?” 

“Dinner. Movie. Either. Both. I’d… like to get to know you better.” 

Gray eyes narrowed. “No,” he stated only, and left. 

Ouch. Well, Allen clearly didn’t trust easily. Give him time and space, and maybe he’d come around. 

&

It wasn’t looking good. Allen kept to himself, which wasn’t bad in itself, but the level he took it to was a little alarming. If it pertained to work, he conversed to the bare minimum, and otherwise spoke to no one. Lavi still saw him in the break room sometimes, but again, all attempts at conversation were dutifully ignored. 

So, one day a couple weeks into this, Lavi decided to stop gabbing at a brick wall and ask it a question. “Are you going to the parade?” 

Gray eyes blinked at him, but the slight eyebrow arch suggested it was in confusion, not indifference. 

“The- the Spring Parade,” the redhead tried to clarify. “You know, the one the mayor’s been having since she was elected?” 

He appeared to be thinking. 

“I keep hearing it’s a pretty good show; I usually work weekends, though. But I thought this year I should try to see it, in case she’s not elected next time, you know? Cause… I figured… I was probably the only one in the city who…” He trailed as he realized he was babbling. Again. 

“Why do you keep talking to me?” 

He speaks! “I just… wanted to get to know you.” 

“Find out if I’m a boy or girl, you mean,” came the dry return. 

“I couldn’t care less about what’s under your clothes. I was curious about your personality before that day; you looked like a fun person to talk to. But if you really just want me to go away, I can do that,” he promised, feeling an ache in the pit of his stomach. 

Allen put down his sandwich. “I don’t trust easily. Not with anything or anyone,” he deadpanned. “It’s blown up in my face too many times. My second day here and I was ready to quit because of those assholes. But… there are people who’ve been nice to me too, like you, even when I’m giving the world the silent treatment. I want to believe you mean well, I really do, but I don’t know if I can.” 

Lavi wasn’t sure what to do with that. “I don’t know how to prove to you I’m not a piece of shit.” 

“I have been listening when you’re talking. You do seem trustworthy and I’d like to go to the parade with you, but I’ve thought that about people before, and… yeah.” 

The freckled man sat back, thinking. “Well… we could just go to the parade, and go from there,” he suggested. 

To his absolute stunned surprise, Allen did a thing Lavi had never seen him do before- he _smiled._ Brightly, even. “That sounds good,” came the reply, now gathering the trash to toss. Lavi felt like he’d just aced a test. “Where do you want to meet?” 

“Oh, um, I was thinking of the apartment building on West Street? The claim is there’s a great view from the roof.” 

“…You can get up there?” 

“I live there,” Lavi couldn’t help but nervously snicker. “It’s my neighbors that keep getting on me for missing it. Sorry, I should’ve clarified that, huh?” he added at the other’s uneasy gaze. 

“No, well, yes, but… Does that mean there’ll be a lot of people?” 

“It’s not a very big building. A couple small families and a few single losers like myself. If nothing else, less people than on the sidewalk.” 

Allen actually laughed at that. “That’s true. Okay. What time should I be there?” 

“Starts at eleven, but I think they start closing off the roads at ten.” 

“…Do you mind me coming that early?” Allen tentatively asked. 

“Nah. I’m usually up by nine. As long as you don’t mind my sorry ass still being in pajamas, cause I probably will be.” 

A snort now. “I don’t. Which apartment are you?” 

“Three. And you should be able to come right up.” 

“Okay. See you then,” the auburn head smiled again, Lavi watching him go in blissful bewilderment. 

He could hardly wait. 

&

Lavi still saw Allen a couple times at work, and tried to not be an awkward idiot, but was pretty bad at that even in the best of times. On the bright side, Allen seemed humored by it. 

The morning of the parade, of course, ended up being a rare morning his body let him sleep in, waking up to the sound of someone knocking on the front door. His first thought was to disregard it, then remembered what day it was, and bolted up, nearly falling face first over his feet getting to the living room. 

“Well, hello there,” he heard his roommate’s sugary-sweet tone coo. Shit. He should be- 

Oh, no. Not only was Tyki actually in, but he’d beaten himself to the door. 

Allen snorted when he saw the redhead. “Sleep in a little late, Lavi?” he asked on the edge of laughter. 

“Uh, yeah. In my defense, I did say I was _usually_ up by nine.” 

“Don’t worry,” Tyki purred, still hanging off the door in a way he probably thought was seductive. “I’ll keep him company while you get yourself together.” 

“Oh, hell no. Don’t you have a girlfriend to be conning? Why are you even here?” 

“Because said girlfriend is ‘done with my shit,’ making her my ex-girlfriend,” the darker-toned man drawled, then turning his attention back to the gray-eyed man. “Making me available for some new adventures.” 

Lavi made a pained noise. 

Surprisingly, though, Allen didn’t shy away from the blatant come-on. “Wow,” he deadpanned. “You must be so broken hearted, hitting on the first pulse you see.” 

Huh? 

“I beg your pardon,” the raven head returned, playing at being insulted, the giant faker. “You are not the first pulse I’ve seen, but by far the prettiest. How about giving me a call when you’re done dangling this one off your hook?” 

Lavi hid his face in his hands. Leave it to Tyki to ruin everything. He’d only invited Allen over because he’d thought the idiot would be out. 

“I don’t have Lavi on a hook,” came the swift return. “Or is that just what relationships are to you?” 

“Prove me wrong. Go ahead; I’ll wait.” 

“All right, all right, you two,” the freckled man finally sighed. “Tyki, go to your room until you’re ready to play nice with the other children. Allen, I’m going to get dressed, but feel free to make yourself comfortable.” 

Gratefully, Tyki did go, but in the corner of his vision, saw Allen watch him go. _‘Yeah, yeah, my roommate has the body of a fucking sex god, rub that right in,’_ he sighed to himself. But… Allen hadn’t looked at anyone like that. Ever. Did… did he like Tyki? “Well geez, if I had just known I needed to act like a giant pervert to get his attention,” he grumbled. 

“Did you think that was flirting?” Allen’s voice spoke up behind him, making him jump. “Heh, sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” 

“Then what was it?” Lavi asked. 

“That was my defenses up, but as nicely as possible, since I assumed you two were friends, and I guess I shouldn’t have done that.” 

“It’s not that we hate each other. He just… has a habit of stealing my significant others. And I saw you watching him go back to his room, and I just saw that happening before I even got to know you, and… I hated that thought.” 

“…Oh.” 

“What?” he tried to kid. “Surprised other people have insecurities?” 

Gray eyes rolled. “No. You must’ve dated some pretty shallow people in the past for them to have let you go so easily.” 

Lavi could feel his face burn. “That’s… nice of you to say.” 

“That’s not why I said it. There was another reason why I came over here… Oh yeah! There’s a ton of mitarashi dango in the fridge. Is it up for grabs?” 

“To a point. I did make it to share with everyone on the roof today.” 

“Ah. I should probably hold back, then. Mitarashi dango is my most favorite thing ever,” came the sheepish explanation. “I could sit down and eat a while pile of it.” 

Noted. “A couple pieces, sure, but yeah, not all of it,” he laughed, then saw the other’s gaze looking past him- to a very over-stuffed bookcase. 

“You must really like to read.” 

“Oh, that’s nothing- go check out the living room.” Figuring Allen would be plenty occupied by the four similarly-stated bookcases there, Lavi didn’t think much of going about getting out of his pajamas and into real clothes, but as he changed, felt a pull to look over to the door he’d foolishly left open- to find a pair of gray eyes fixed on him, the face attached a little flushed. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry, I should’ve-” 

“No, no, I’m the one intruding-” 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lavi cut him off, smiling in a way he hoped was comforting while instinctively reaching to touch the other’s shoulder, also in the hopes of reassuring him. 

Allen froze, but before Lavi could take his hand back, a paler one was over it. “How are you so _warm_?” he breathed. 

“Um… I don’t know. That’s just how I normally am,” the redhead replied, carefully watching the sweatshirt-clad arms wrap his own bare one. 

“So warm,” the other muttered again, now trapping the hand he held between his own shoulder and cheek. 

Swallowing hard, Lavi dared to gently coax the lithe form closer, doing his best not to startle the other man. If anything, Allen seemed to like that even more, a soft little sigh escaping him. 

He was happy to hold Allen as long as Allen wanted to be held but Lavi lifted his own head at some movement in the edge of his vision. Tyki, peering around into the room, a shit-eating grin in place. He didn’t know what the idiot had in mind, but- _‘I will destroy you,’_ Lavi mouthed in warning. 

Gratefully, Tyki held up his hands and backed the fuck off. 

Which brought him back to the little angel in his arms. “Why does this feel so safe?” said angel whispered in disbelief, almost sounding horrified. What kind of treatment was this poor thing used to? 

“I know what you mean. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to scare you off. Since the first time I saw you, all I’ve wanted is to hold you like this. What are your thoughts on past lives?” he ventured. 

“In this case, it’d make a hell of a lot of sense. I don’t get close to people, and especially not this quickly. Giving you the silent treatment was me being nice, believe it or not.” 

“I really do,” Lavi couldn’t help chuckling. 

“I’m sure stories get around.” His grip loosened just enough so he could look at the redhead. “So now what?” 

“Um… did you still wanna watch the parade? Might be nice to give our brains a break from the heavy stuff.” 

Allen gave a weary smile and a nod as he parted further. “Guess I should let you get dressed, then.” 

“I’m not opposed to staying in, either. No clothing necessary.” 

“…You going all letch on me?” 

“I’m not saying there has to be sex, but who doesn’t love cuddles?” 

Allen laughed. “The parade’s only an hour, right? There can be cuddles after. And during, actually.” 

“That’s fair. Okay, I’ll be out in a minute.” 

Allen gave a nod, and went back out into the living room. 

Tyki must’ve been listening, but apparently did watch Allen go as well from around the corner, as when Lavi came to close the door, the raven head was there again to dramatically mouth, ‘That’s so beautiful!!’ 

Lavi flipped him off and shut the door. 

&

The parade was pretty cool, but in the end, the redhead wasn’t sure what his neighbors had been raving about. It was a pretty standard event. Local organizations, causes, and the police and fire department signaling the end. 

But it had brought him closer to Allen, and that was pretty damn spectacular. 

What was left of the dango was sitting next to the auburn head now- and although Lavi had offered it to everyone, anyone who did try got a stern glare until they backed away. It was pretty funny. Luckily that was something Lavi both enjoyed making and was good at making- he told Allen he’d be happy to any time, and the other male had lit right up. 

Good God, no one had a right to be so beautiful- especially with a mouth full of dango. 

“So, um,” Lavi ventured after the sirens and died down and everyone was parting ways. “Do you wanna come back inside, or did Tyki permanently scar you?” 

Allen laughed. “Neither of you have scarred me. I’d love to stay a while, if you don’t mind.” 

“Not at all, but just a warning- I’m pretty boring.” 

“I doubt that,” was the reply, the two getting to their feet. “You haven’t been so far.” 

“Aw, thanks; that was sweet.” 

“I said it because it was true, not because it was sweet.” 

Lavi smiled himself, watching his new friend go to the door. Maybe they’d end up dating, maybe they wouldn’t, but as long as Allen kept him in his life, Lavi knew he wouldn’t be complaining either way.


End file.
